Last week, the Bombay High Court bench of Justices Kamal Kishor Tated and Nitin Borkar permitted Hyderabad based Bharat Biotech’s associated company Biovet Private Limited to take possession of a fully operational and ready-to-use vaccine manufacturing plant on a 12-hectare plot in Pune to produce Covaxin. The decision comes after a lot of tug of war between Biovet and the Maharashtra government as the latter gave one excuse after another to stall the process.
The division bench allowed Biovet’s interim application in a petition challenging the Forest Department’s decision to disallow them from restarting a manufacturing unit on forest land.
When Biovet sought the Maha Vikas Aghadi government’s approval to the transfer, the deputy conservator of forests (Pune division) allegedly at the behest of CM Uddhav Thackeray pointed out that it was a reserved forest and the initial 1973 grant itself was bad. Subsequently, Biovet was forced to file a petition in HC challenging the version of the Forest Department.
After granting the permission, the bench also issued a specific directive to the chief conservator of forests, the district collector and other concerned authorities to ensure that mandatory permissions and clearances are given to Biovet within a reasonable time to enable the firm to start manufacturing the vaccine at the earliest.
Bharat Biotech is currently producing the second indigenous Covid vaccine of the country named Covaxin. To ramp up the production, the company sought to use the facility which earlier used to manufacture vaccine for Foot and Mouth Disease. It is also imperative to note that Intervet is exiting business operations in India and had already entered into an agreement with Biovet to transfer the land and manufacturing unit to the latter. Intervet’s counsel during the court hearing also submitted that the unit should be kept running.
According to a TOI report, RD Soni, appearing for Biovet, argued that the unit and machinery was lying idle due to delay in handing over possession of the land. He also told the court the company would not claim any equity in respect to the land in question. The company also submitted an undertaking stating it would use the unit to manufacture Covaxin.
Even in times as unprecedented as these, the Advocate General, Ashutosh Kumbhakoni, representing the Maharashtra government seemed more focused on where the ownership of the land lied.
At first, the Advocate General argued the case of the Forest Department but upon the decision of the court granting permission, he told the court that the government had no objection if the company used the unit for manufacturing lifesaving vaccines, including Covaxin but Biovet should not claim any right, title and interest in future on the land.
Covaxin’s efficacy has been tried and tested against the new mutant Indian strain and thus in addition to Covishield, it is necessary that the production be ramped up. The company has already announced that it is looking to increase its capacity to 700 million vaccines annually.
Only if the Uddhav administration in Maharashtra had granted the permission earlier without forcing the company to go to court, the production would have begun in the Intervet’s facility by now.
They want their Commission
This commission of shiv sena and the arm-twisting of industries is an old modus operandi since the days of Enron and Dabhol. People have short memories where hafta khori is concerned.
Offcause it’s all about commission
Politics and above all hafta in every thing…
Can’t see people dying…
They are the real and deadlier virus…
Killing two birds in one stone!! Delay the development till they commission is paid. Blame modi for not expediting vaccine delivery
What do you think , why sputnik is delayed
AK, MANISH SISODIA, MAMATA & UDHAV THAKREY ARE WORST THAN COVID 19. THEY ARE INHUMANE.
With Modi loosing everything , name , fame , these all four are contenders for pm
If these corrupt and worst people continue on power what will happen to India’ and Maharashtra. They don’t have control over Bandra , Mumbra and small villeges in Maharashtra.They r talking about America, China, Japan, Dubai and other International countries
What else you can expect from Maha Vassoli Aghadi?
Political people should change themselves and try to help the bad situation to improve
This shows they are not fit to rule.
Strict action should be taken by court on uddhav govt.This is really unacceptable
This shows their utter disregard towards the people who are affected by the calamity. All they are interested in is VASOOLI . Shiv sena is proving to be worst of all govts. In Maharashtra. It seems that it has accumulated all the filth of three constituents – SS,Kongis , NCP .
AGAIN AN SHAME LESS ATTEMPT OF “VASOOLI” BY MAHA VASOOLI AGHADI
Utter disrespect to the humanity.. On the one side people are losing lives of bread winners and leading miserable life, on the other side, this filthy politics stand like vultures. At least vultures are better. They eat only dead bodies.
Basically urtent govt of Maharashtra is chor govt . They tried to get their commission. They r d most corrupt govt . They should be removed immediately .
Comission is what they wanted. Inhuman tyrants this Shiv sainiks. Must be involved in beds, injections and vaccine shortages scam too. MVA is reaping hay while the sun is shining the harshest. Great going guys
It all over for MGV and ss they will never ever come to power again in MH. Even mahrastrians will not support them in forming govt in the next elections. They cheated the entire people by changing party.
Thakrudin sarkar will do anything to please their master pawar, papu and Pakistan. They want to see that their corona jihad wins as we all know the second wave was started from Maharashtra. Thakrudin vasoli sarkar is just proxy of Pakistan
Pl. Corrector rephrase the remark of the New mutant B.1.617 as Indian strain/ variant as it is not specified or associated as such even by WHO and is listed as VOC or Variant of Concern at the Global level/ body . Pl. Check WHO’s weekly epidemiological updates as also several media reports have covered the news as B.1.617 as VOC The Indian Variant term is without any basis and unfounded as even WHO has used the word Indian in its report for that matter.
Story of family Donkeys and penguins mating with other families of sharks, snakes, spiders and scorpions to create a new breed – Maha Vasuli Asswholes 🐴 🐧 🦈 🐍 🕷 🦂 🤣 😂
Maharashtra Government doesn’t want a vital industry in Maharashtra
“Pune divisional commissioner and district collector are going to process the request for the land as soon as possible. They will process the speedy approval for the provision of water, electricity, and other key necessities for the plant. It might probably take about 3 months for the commencement of vaccine production. While the company will have to provide 50 per cent of the vaccine doses manufactured at the proposed plant to the centre, we will, however, request Bharat Biotech to reserve the rest of the vaccines for use within the state,” Deputy CM AJIT PAWAR.